CONTENTDISCONTENT:
FOUR REASONS WHY BRANDS LOSE CONTROL OF THE NARRATIVE
We could list brands that have faced recent PR crises, but by the time you finish this article, there will probably already be another brand making headlines.
In our 24-hour-news-cycle world, where one tweet can tank a brand’s perception, it’s critical that brands are intentional when creating content — and have the culture, infrastructure and processes to bring that content to life in real time.
Here are four major reasons why brands struggle to leverage content effectively in times of crisis.
They’re not moderating effectively.
If you’ve ever been to a talkback for a film screening, you can see why moderators play such an important role in guiding the conversation. Without a good moderator, an attendee takes control of the mic and ends up pitching their own movie idea.
When your brand doesn't control the narrative — or you’re not actively and consistently engaging and communicating with customers — the internet will control the narrative for you. And that’s when brands end up in damage control mode.
They’re in the wrong room.
What’s the most effective platform for reaching the widest possible audience when you need to get a message out?
Too many brands don’t have a good answer to this question. They’re putting content out on the wrong platforms, tweeting when they should be emailing (or vice versa) — and leaving too many customers in the dark.
They’re too much tortoise and not enough hare.
Slow and steady wins the race — sometimes. But in these situations, brands need to react quickly. A well-written tweet, posted right away, can be much more effective than a well-produced video that takes days to go live. If customers are upset, they need to hear from you, NOW.
They’re not speaking the right language.
Legal and compliance are an important part of the content creation process. No matter how great a piece of content is, it will never see the light of day without their sign-off. But, sometimes, brands focus so much on not saying the wrong thing that they end up not saying the right thing. Or they say it in a way that customers can’t understand (the average person didn’t attend law school).
Is this resonating with your brand? Stay tuned for Part 2 or reach out now to learn more.
